No story is potentially more predictable than the romantic drama. Well, scratch that, there are stories about dogs. In both cases, you usually know what to expect. Both narratives are almost always marked by pathos, and, more than likely, they both don’t end well. In the French film, My King (now on DVD), starring Emmanuelle…Read more Film Review: My King (2015)
“You’re the Only Home I Ever Had” – On Munich and the Meaning of Home in an Unpredictable World
In 2005, Steven Spielberg released two films that were very different, at least on the surface. One was War of the Worlds. It starred Tom Cruise doing a lot, and I mean A LOT, of running. The other was Munich, which profiled Israel’s violent response to the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Palestine Liberation…Read more “You’re the Only Home I Ever Had” – On Munich and the Meaning of Home in an Unpredictable World
Film Review: The Light Between Oceans (2016)
I'm often referred to as being a cynic, and in many ways that characterization rings true. Other traits however color me as something else: a sentimentalist. I often find love stories - particularly those given life by actors as beautiful as Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender - to be quite touching. I'm also a big sucker for stories…Read more Film Review: The Light Between Oceans (2016)
What is Cravenmoor? – Chapter One
[ 1. ] Francis awoke to the grey, mid-morning light, which streamed through the blue curtains of his small, boxy room, highlighting the ample dust that floated freely but dully throughout space. The pillow his head was lying on was soaked with what he hoped was sweat. He didn’t want to check. He didn’t want…Read more What is Cravenmoor? – Chapter One
Film Review: Arrival (2016)
Considering how disturbing the past couple of days have been, I was probably fated to react viscerally to the first film I watched in theaters after the election. That film turned out to be the lauded Arrival, directed by the always interesting Denis Villeneuve, the man behind diverse features like Prisoners, Enemy and Sicario. Arrival tells…Read more Film Review: Arrival (2016)
Film Review: Bad Moms (2016)
In Bad Moms Mila Kunis is Amy Mitchell, a married woman with a lot on her plate. Amy works as a sales representative for a hip Chicago coffee company. She also is a stellar full-time mom to two children, Dylan and Jane. She loves many things about her life, but she is also harassed, underappreciated…Read more Film Review: Bad Moms (2016)
Film Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
What is there to say about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM), Tobe Hooper's 1974 masterpiece about murderous hillbillies and their attack on a group of isolated youths? The film has been endlessly studied since its release, not to mention fawned over and pointed to by scholars, film buffs and famous directors as being one of…Read more Film Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Complex – Chapter VIII: “It’s Chill”
Sarah sighed and got out of bed, swinging her feet onto the thin carpet. It was a half an hour before she actually needed to get up, but sleep had only come intermittently: 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there. Pulling on and zipping up a purple hoodie, she walked over to the frosty window, which looked…Read more The Complex – Chapter VIII: “It’s Chill”
Film Review: Farewell, My Queen (2012)
My interest in the French Revolution began several years ago. I was in Paris and shamelessly decided this was where I'd read Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities for the first time. Putting aside the face-palming aspects of that decision (cause, you know, I must have looked REAL cool reading THAT book in THAT city), I…Read more Film Review: Farewell, My Queen (2012)
Film Review: Game Change (2012)
One of the most engaging appearances in Game Change, the 2012 HBO film about Sarah Palin and the 2008 election, is not Julianne Moore take on the infamous former governor of Alaska. It is actually Tina Fey, who spectacularly impersonated Palin in a number of SNL skits during the '08 cycle, and who has continued to…Read more Film Review: Game Change (2012)
Adam Mohrbacher 